This past year our GOP legislators have stood strong with no defectors — the toughest in recent memory. Indeed, this toughness was one reason I switched this year from the Libertarian Party to the GOP.
But with the coming “top two” system of elections, it’s probable a few RINO’s will slip into the CA legislature, replacing some GOP tough guys and gals. And, at this point, it takes only two in each CA legislative body to make the GOP TOTALLY irrelevant in the legislative process.
One RINO (Brian Maienschein) is already a frontrunner in north San Diego to replace Nathan Fletcher, who is running for mayor of San Diego. This district is a strong GOP bastion — even after redistricting.
Sadly, GOP legislators Joel Anderson and Brian Jones have for unknown reasons just endorsed Maienschein’s candidacy. Maienschein likely will be quietly backed by one or more of the public employee labor unions, thanks to his sterling service to same while screwing up San Diego as our city council critter. To but it bluntly, in fiscal matters, he was simply awful — a tool of the labor unions. He is now drawing a city pension at about age 42 for his 8 years in office.
Expect to see more such GOP “moderates” making big-time runs for GOP seats. If just a few are successful, the result will be a DE FACTO liberal legislative playground from which even more bad legislation and higher taxes will pour forth.
I guess the good news is that the Democrats will screw up this state even faster — so maybe the GOP can finally make some inroads in Sacramento. But that’s doubtful, as more and more GOP and independent voters move elsewhere for better economic opportunities and superior living conditions.
September 14th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Wrong.
Religious ‘conservatives’ with their touting of ‘family values’, antichoice and antievolution platforms have rendered the CA R party generally unelectable in CA.
There’s indeed life outside Orange County, and you can’t alienate a whole swath
of otherwise generally fiscally conservative folks and expect to gain let alone retain seats. Even the R individuals that don’t hold to these precepts are tainted by the general public perception of the party as a whole supporting this crap.
Outside the eventual complete loss of control of CA legislature, this renders
them incapable of populating a bench with individuals that can hold up-list
statewide office.
Bill Wiese
San Jose CA
September 14th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Thanks for the clarification Bill. I didn’t realize that over one third of the entire California population (all Republican voters, oddly enough) resides in Orange County.
That must be the case as — according to you — there can be no [GOP] life outside Orange County.
Your insight finally explains how the Republicans have elected about 35% of each legislative body.
September 14th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Richard, aside from your cutsie-ism… 35%.
Do you realize that number translates into COMPLETE, UNMITIGATED ABJECT FAILURE?
It means about 2/3 the people in CA think R’s stink to some extent enough to not vote for them, and it also means it’s a wiggle away from going under 1/3rd – meaning ZERO control/relevancy.
And, yes, an Orange County mindset drives the CA R party management.
Someday, there will be some people in the R party that get testosterone injections because whatever equipment they currently have ain’t working. Winning is everything.
September 15th, 2011 at 8:56 am
Another comment devoid of content. This is a Blue state, politically and demographically. You wish it were otherwise, but it ain’t — especially on the district partisan race level.
Your hope that Republicans become weak versions of Democrats in order to “win” is no solution. It’s not even a win — except for the lucky, overpaid office holders. The state needs to REVERSE direction, not just somewhat slow the Golden State’s march to insolvency and poverty.
When things get worse, MAYBE that reversal will come. Certainly not before.
September 15th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Richard
I do not hope this becomes more of a ‘blue state’. I want low taxes, effective business environment and (my passion) fixing CA’s bad gun laws and stopping more of them from passing.
It’s somewhat been pushed into Blue due to CA R’s idiotic pandering to a small body of Thumpers on ‘pro life’ and ‘pro family’ (anti-LGBT) matters, with a hint of religiosity elsewhere (creationism in schools, etc.) These positions scare off a broad swath of otherwise fairly conservative educated suburban voters – the same ones that actually voted for Ronald Reagan.
[BTW do understand that many Red states, however are effectively on welfare as they are ‘net transfer’ states: the value of the goods & services they provide do not compensate for the fed monies sent in – gov’t salaries, benefits, Soc. Sec/Medicare, SSI, etc. For as screwed up as CA is the value of goods and services we provide and continue to provide substantially exceeds monies paid in – in fact the Bay Area alone pays for a lot of the midwest’s excesses. Imagine how well we’d do if we didn’t have to support these other states’ BS and if we fixed immigration ,etc]
CA Reeps fail to understand WHY the CA Reep party is a LOSING party and why they are screwing up tax and gun matters. When the party is perceived to hold positions that are so repugnant to a broad swath of people that they vote for the opposing party in spite of being fiscally harmed, your party’s Dog Food Marketing Chief needs to serve up different food, not a bigger bowl of the same crap.
An essentially libertarian state will NOT reverse course and vote for fat Christian vagina regulators. Those that think otherwise probably like to ram their heads into cement walls as a weekend hobby.
Bill Wiese
San Jose CA
September 15th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Too many needy and deep in debt citizens care about the feedbag more than politicans peeking in their windows!
Republicans should own the education issue due to failed public schools.
Republicans should stop running rich candidates; citizens perception of the Republican Party…Carly and Meg and Simon and Arnold and Huffington….all deep pockets and little perceived empathy with citizens.
September 16th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Robert..
>[Robert Bosich wrote:]
>Too many needy and deep in debt citizens care about the feedbag
>more than politicans peeking in their windows!
Republicans have won in CA in ‘tight times’ before. But the whole ‘choice’ issue, etc. is always on the top 3 list of CA voters’ concerns and is also skewed by the growing number of younger single voters.
>[Robert Bosich wrote:]
>Republicans should own the education issue due to failed public schools.
They could, if various party members STFU about creationism/intelligent design. The last attempted Republican in Silicon Valley was just about run out of town when he was trying to defend some idiot thumper of a Cupertino schoolteacher who was teaching creationism in his SCIENCE class. That individual WAS run out of town; I’d hope his final paycheck did not clear.
>[Robert Bosich wrote:]
>Republicans should stop running rich candidates; citizens perception of
>the Republican Party…Carly and Meg and Simon and Arnold and Huffington/
>all deep pockets and little perceived empathy with citizens.
CA Reeps HAVE to run these people because they have no ‘bench’. Their system is tuned – essentially ‘affirmitive action’ – for safe legislative seats for Rs and these are even in decline. While these individuals maybe can win a local/district election they most often can’t win at statewide level certainly on any up-ticket office and usu down-ticket as well (i.e., state dogcatcher). So the rich folks come in an ‘pay their own way’ – and of course the CA R party likes that because it keeps money in party accounts for ongoing operations (read: martinis, etc.) during waves after waves of lost elections.
Bill Wiese
San Jose CA
September 16th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Wow.
Lets not dwell on religion, personal behaviors.
The liberal record speaks for itself..you mean we cannot find a seasoned California politican who can communicate Security vs Education vs Health and Welfare vs Infrastructure vs Private Industry..who wins or who loses in a prolonged stagnant economy?
Simple but not simple,for when you run airhead out of touch cocktail party psuedo candidates they cannot understand the feedbag mentality of needy and debt laden fearful citizens. You may note recent major election Republican candidates have been pretty secular and sort of flakee moderate.
They still lose…
.
September 19th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
>>{Robert Bosich wrote:}
>>lets not dwell on religion, personal behaviors
Unfortunately the majority of Californians don’t like Bedroom Nazis & Thumpers.
Affirmative action (‘safe seats’) let them freewheel for awhile without immediate consequences, but as the state turns more small-L libertarian in combination with other demographic shifts, the CA Reeps proved they continue to be irrelevant – they’ll shortly not even be able to hold up a budget now, their last source of any strength or relevance.
Remember, “pro-life” == pro-tax & anti-gun simply due to end result of BEING LOSERS.
Bill Wiese
San Jose CA